The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-04-24

the habit of traverSing a beaten path day
after day and year after year, remaining i'll
utter ignorance of the territory that lies
either to the right or left of them. 1t is no
exaggeration 10 say that there are hundreds
OF thousands OF New Workers who have
never seen Second avenue, though it is a
pretcntous and important thoroughfare. |
am in the habit of shocking about a good
deal and yet | don't think | have ever seen
Avenue A. Is, or G, and it was not until n
Wcel ago that managed to get over on the
west side Of town.
! This particular portion of New York
owes is present popularity and its coming
| greatness 70 a few real estate dealers and
! Spectators. These gentlemen came to the
conclusion that since business had driven
everybody above lower Fifth avenue, and
as il would inevitably occupy the whole Of
thaS famous street, an outlet should be
made for the rich residents. Accordingly,
they fixed upon the tract of lard to the
west of Central Park and up along the
river front. Three or four years ago goats
browsed over the stony surface of the hills
huts ard shanties were half buried in the hol-
lows and ragged children played about the
streets. Pools were formed, money sub
scIibed and the vigi,ant legislators set to
work. The first thing that was done was to
have bin passed forbidding any body To
build shops or stables Oh Il long and narrow
!
also prohibits wooden buildings. Then the
narrow streets were broadened until it was
four or five times its original width, beauti-
inlly paved and operations began. 1t bids
fair TO be one OF the most magnificent ave
nues in the world No two houses are similar,
and the brightest ideas OF architects OF
houses have been utilized wherever they
were found. The first four blocks of the
avenue excel the most pretentious section OF
~ IA N hA q Of
cIusiveness which the brokers have managed
70 give the whole enterprise has caught So
riety. People are moving up there, and it
IS impossible TO meet the demands for houses
For instance, one corner house was less than
half a story high when the wife of an am
bilious cOnfectiOner saw the plans and
offered $4,000 for the house on its
completion. The real estate broker
who would have jumped at an offer OF
50 900, accepted the candy womans money
with The show OF apparent hesitation,
handed over the builders money and peck
eted the difference Thea stock brokers
wife caught the west-eud craze and insisted
upon having the house which had been sold
to the coufectioner's wife. 1t was then
nearly two stories high. she paid $40, 900
and, to crafty her whim, projected e., 000
wing in the rear. Theroupon one morning
4 broker showed up and paid her so, 900 for
dispose OF 1t at a heavy advance.
This is but one instance of many
A great many of the more conserva-
live real estate men claim that the whole
boom is likely to fall to pieces at any mo
ment, but they are generally regarded as
cTOakers by the men who are in the pool
Taken all together, it is very extraordinary
in a real estate way, but there is no question
about the beauty of the locality that has
been selected. The houses are in the vicinity
Of Eighty-second to Eightieth street, and
they are only 100 feet from the North river
The rear windows command a magnificent
view of the Hudson up and down, and the
location IS 50 far above the shipping interest
uud ferries that private at-houses are not
interered with in the least by river navi-
cation.
The vast tract of land lying between West
End avenue and Central Park has also been
invaded by capitalists, and row after row
Of houses has gone up in the most mysterious
manner. The last time | was up there |
found a city of 100, 900 inhabitants where
nothing but fields existed before the advent
Of the elevated roads. Row after row OF
iour-story brown stone houses stretched
IN every direction as far as the eye
could reach. Many of them could have
been bought for $4,000 the year
after they were put up, but it will take at
least $35, 900 to convince any of the owners
that they ought to sell out to-day. Where
on earth all the money comes from is mys-
terry to a man who considers 81 600 reaS-
onAbly large and inspiring sum of money
! fell to talking with a commission mer-
chant whom met accidentally in the new
New York on the west side. | asked him
If ne wasn't lonely up here.
81 should rather say was" he said. with
L grin, people, people everywhere and not
2 drop to drink. " That's the reason | came
up here. Down town it was SO easy to tall
by the waySide, and fall eveilastingly
through the green baiZe DOORS that | found
myself slowly but surely winning first place
in a competitive examination for a drunk
ards grave The difficulty Of walking up
town without encountering grief and disas-
ter was as great as the impoSsibility of stay
ing home nights. You say you wonder
how so many men of limited means
can afford to occupy whole houses
up here, instead Of flats down town. and
that little fact explains il all Up here we
-eat, gossip and steep There is NOT the least
opportunity IN the world to spend money
we go to bed early and live the humdrl,m
lives Of the country villagers. A man can
afford anything on earth when he does that
OF course it is stupid but it is also benef-
cial There are two topics of conversation
on the west side, one is real estate and the
other is your ueighb0rn
Then lie told me Cbout the sale that the
Astots had made day or two before In
1871 they bought a field on what is now
one Hundred and Fourteenth street, and
paid $4,000 for it. Subsequently they sold
il at a slight advance 10 the late Charles
Dclnonico. When the war broke out Mr..
Dchnonico, fearing that the States would
50 to pieces and anarchy reign supreme
sold the lol again to tie AstorS for 81, 800
Lost week it was sold to a syndicate of real
estate men for the very tidy sum Of %322 900
Very good way to make money, that.
BLAKELY HALL.
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